Portable device

ABSTRACT

A portable device includes: first and second cases; a biasing member which is secured to the first case side; and a slider which is secured to the second case side, which is slidably connected to the first case, and which is pushed by the biasing member; wherein: the slider includes: a first pushed portion pushed by the biasing member when the slider slides from a beginning of a sliding range to an end of the sliding range; a second pushed portion pushed by the biasing member when the slider slides from the end to the beginning; a first guiding portion guiding a pushed position pushed by the biasing member from the first pushed portion to the second pushed portion; and a second guiding portion guiding the pushed position from the second pushed portion to the first pushed portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of theprior Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-118414, filed on May 15,2009, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-214992, filed on Sep. 16,2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The embodiment discussed herein is related to a portable device.

BACKGROUND

It is known a portable device that includes first and second casesslidably connected to each other (See Japanese Unexamined PatentPublication Nos. 2007-49650 and 2008-196525). Such a portable deviceincludes: a biasing member biasing the first or second case in a slidingdirection so as to assist sliding; a mechanism of changing the biasingdirection of the biasing member depending on a position of sliding. Forexample, when the second case is slid from the beginning of a slidingrange to the end thereof, the biasing direction is changed from thestate of being pushed to the beginning by the biasing member to thestate of being pushed to the end while the second case is slid. In thisway, sliding is assisted.

Generally, in each case where the second case is slid from the beginningto the end or where the second case is slid from the end to thebeginning, the direction where the biasing member assists the sliding ischanged by a single mechanism. For this reason, when the second case isslid from the beginning to the end, the biasing force of the biasingmember which pushes the second case to the end is exerted as an assistof the sliding. However, when the second case is slid from the end tothe beginning, the biasing force of the biasing member which pushes thesecond case to the end is exerted as a resistance of the sliding. Asmentioned above, whether the biasing force of the biasing member isexerted as an assist or a resistance of the sliding depends on thesliding direction. That is, the cases where the biasing force of thebiasing member is exerted as an assist and a resistance are two sides ofthe same coin.

Thus, when the range is set such that the second case is pushed to theend at the time of sliding from the beginning to the end, the range isset such that the second case is pushed to the beginning, and the rangesare also set such that the second case is pushed to the beginning andthe end at the time of sliding from the end to the beginning. In thismanner, the range where the sliding of the second case is assistedcannot be individually set for every sliding direction.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the embodiments, a portable device includes:first and second cases; a biasing member which is secured to the firstcase side; and a slider which is secured to the second case side, whichis slidably connected to the first case, and which is pushed by thebiasing member; wherein: the slider includes: a first pushed portionpushed by the biasing member when the slider slides from a beginning ofa sliding range to an end of the sliding range; a second pushed portionpushed by the biasing member when the slider slides from the end to thebeginning; a first guiding portion guiding a pushed position pushed bythe biasing member from the first pushed portion to the second pushedportion; and a second guiding portion guiding the pushed position fromthe second pushed portion to the first pushed portion; a direction wherethe slider is pushed by the biasing member is changed from a directiontoward the beginning to a direction toward the end, in response to amovement of the pushed position on the first pushed portion; and thedirection where the slider is pushed by the biasing member is changedfrom the direction toward the end to the direction toward the beginning,in response to a movement of the pushed position on the second pushedportion.

The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and arenot restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. lA to 1E are explanatory views of a portable phone according to afirst embodiment;

FIGS. 2A to 2E are explanatory views of a portable phone having adifferent structure from the portable phone according to the firstembodiment;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the portable phone in a fullyclosed state;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the portable phone in a fullyopened state;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the portable phone in the fully closedstate;

FIGS. 6A to 6D are perspective views of a pushing mechanism and achanging member at the time of sliding;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of a pushing mechanism and achanging member at the time of the sliding;

FIGS. 8A to 8D are perspective views of a guiding surface;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portable phone according to a secondembodiment;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are perspective views of a guiding member;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portable phone according to a thirdembodiment;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views of the portable phone accordingto the third embodiment;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views of a portable phone according toa fourth embodiment; and

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the portable phone according to thefourth embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the portablephone according to the third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following, plural embodiments will be described. Additionally,for example, a portable device is a portable phone.

First Embodiment

FIGS. 1A to 1E are explanatory views of a portable phone according to afirst embodiment.

FIG. 1A illustrates a fully closed state to be mentioned later. FIG. 1Billustrates a partway state from the fully closed state to a fullyopened state. FIG. 1C illustrates the fully opened state. FIG. 1Dillustrates a partway state from the fully opened state to the fullyclosed state. FIG. 1E illustrates the fully closed state.

The portable phone according to the first embodiment includes a mainbody portion (first case) 10, and a display portion (second case) 20slidably connected to the main body portion 10 in a liner manner. Thedisplay portion 20 is provided at its front face with a display 22 whichis always exposed. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the main body portion 10is provided with numeric keys 12 and functional keys 14. A mechanism, tobe mentioned later in detail, for assisting sliding the display portion20 is provided between the main body portion 10 and the display portion20. This mechanism is provided with a biasing member, which is providedbetween the main body portion 10 and the display portion 20, and whichassists the sliding. Additionally, the sliding range is indicated by L,the beginning of the sliding range is indicated by P1, and the end isindicated by P2, as illustrated in FIGS. lA to 1E.

FIG. 1A illustrates the fully closed state where the main body portion10 and the display portion 20 are overlapped with each other. When thedisplay portion 20 is upwardly pushed relative to the main body portion10 in the fully closed state, the display portion 20 slides on the mainbody portion 10 to start exposing the numeric keys 12 which are coveredwith the display portion 20, as illustrated in FIG. 1B. In the statebetween the fully closed state and the state illustrated in FIG. 1B, thebiasing member attempts to return the display portion 20 to thebeginning P1. This range is indicated by La. When the display portion 20illustrated in FIG. 1B is further pushed, the biasing member attempts topush the display portion 20 to the end P2. By the pushing force of thebiasing member, the display portion 20 is shifted to the fully openedstate illustrated in FIG. 1C. That is, a user has only to slide thedisplay portion 20 by the range La against the biasing force of thebiasing member, so that the biasing member assists in sliding thedisplay portion 20 to the end P2. The range La2, where the biasingmember pushes the display portion 20 to the end P2, is longer than thehalf of the entire sliding range L. That is, the range La2 is longerthan the range Lal.

When the display portion 20 is downwardly pushed relative to the displayportion 20 in the fully opened state, the display portion 20 startscovering the functional keys 14 as illustrated in FIG. 1D. Between thefully opened state and the state illustrated in FIG. 1D, the biasingmember attempts to return the display portion 20 to the end P2. Thisrange is indicated by Lbl. When the display portion 20 is furtherpushed, the biasing member attempts to push the display portion 20 tothe beginning P1. By the pushing force of the biasing member, thedisplay portion 20 is shifted to the fully closed state as illustratedin FIG. 1E. That is, a user has only to slide the display portion 20 bythe range Lbl against the biasing force of the biasing member, so thatthe biasing member assists in sliding the display portion 20 to thebeginning P1. The range Lb2, where the biasing member pushes the displayportion 20 to the beginning P1, is longer than the half of the entiresliding range L. That is, the range Lb2 is longer than the range Lb 1.

In this manner, even in any case where the fully opened state is shiftedto the fully closed state or where the fully closed state is shifted tothe fully opened state, a user has only to push the display portion 20by a slight distance against the biasing force of the biasing member.Accordingly, the operability is improved in the portable phone accordingto the first embodiment. In particular, the operability is improved in aportable phone having a large sliding range.

Next, a description will be given of sliding of a portable phone havinga structure different from that of the portable phone according to thefirst embodiment. FIGS. 2A to 2E are explanatory views of sliding of theportable phone having the structure different from that of the portablephone according to the first embodiment.

Additionally, the sliding range L is the same.

The biasing member attempts to return a display portion 20 x to thebeginning P1 between the fully closed state illustrated in FIG. 2A andthe state illustrated in FIG. 2B. The range, where the biasing memberbiases the display portion 20 x to the beginning P1, is the half of theentire sliding range L. When the display portion 20 x is further pushedfrom the state illustrated in FIG. 2B, the biasing member attempts topush the display portion 20 x to the end P2. By the biasing force of thebiasing member, the display portion 20 x is shifted to the fully openedstate illustrated in FIG. 2C. When the fully opened state is shifted tothe state illustrated in FIG. 1D, the biasing member attempts to returnthe display portion 20 x to the end P2. The range, where the biasingmember the display portion 20 x to the end P2, is the half of the entiresliding range L. When the display portion 20 x is further pushed to thebeginning P1 in the state illustrated in FIG. 2D, the biasing memberattempts to push the display portion 20 x to the beginning P1.Accordingly, the fully closed state is performed again. In this manner,the boundary point, where the direction that the biasing member pushesthe display portion 20 x is changed, is a substantially center point ofthe sliding range.

This is because the mechanism for changing the direction that thebiasing member pushes the display portion 20 x is commonly used in anycase where the display portion 20 x is slid from the beginning P1 to theend P2 or where the display portion 20 x is slid from the end P2 to thebeginning P1. Thus, it is supposed that the range be set longer than thehalf of the entire sliding range L, the range being where the biasingmember pushes the display portion 20 x to the end P2. In this case, therange where the biasing member assists in sliding the display portion 20x is made long. When the display portion 20 x is slid from the beginningP1 to the end P2, the operability is improved. However, it is necessaryto push the display portion 20 x by a long range against the biasingforce of the biasing member, when the display portion 20 x is slid fromthe end P2 to the beginning P1. Thus, in the portable phone having sucha structure, the boundary point, where the direction that the biasingmember pushes the display portion 20 x is changed, is set to be asubstantially center point of the sliding range.

However, in the above mentioned portable phone according to the firstembodiment, the boundary point where the direction that the biasingmember pushes the display portion 20 is changed, is not a substantiallycenter point of the sliding range. Further, in any sliding direction,the range where the biasing member pushes the display portion 20 islonger than the entire sliding range. In the following, the structure ofthe portable phone will be described in detail according to the firstembodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the portable phone in thefully closed state. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of theportable phone in the fully opened state. FIG. 5 is a perspective viewof the portable phone in the fully closed state.

Between the main body portion 10 and the display portion 20, there arearranged a base plate 30, a slider 40, a biasing member 50, changingmembers 60 a and 60 b, and a pushing mechanism 90, as illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4. The base plate 30 is secured to a front face side of themain body portion 10 facing the display portion 20.

The slider 40 is secured to a rear face side of the display portion 20facing the main body portion 10. Guide portions 31 are provided at leftand right edge portions of the base plate 30, respectively. Railportions 41 are provided at left and right edge portions of the slider40. The guide portion 31 is slidably engaged with the rail portions 41.Thus, the main body portion 10 is slidably connected to the displayportion 20 in a liner manner within a given range. Further, the changingmembers 60 a and 60 b, and stoppers 42 and 43 are secured to a face ofthe slider 40 facing the main body portion 10 by adhesive bonding.Details will be described later.

The main body portion 10 is electrically connected to the displayportion 20 by a flexible printed circuit 70. The slider 40 is providedwith a cutout portion 47 for escaping the flexible printed circuit 70.

The biasing member 50 is arranged between the main body portion 10 andthe slider 40. The biasing member 50 is arranged on the base plate 30.The biasing member 50 includes a coil portion 51, and arm portions 53and 55. The end of the arm portion 53 is connected to the main bodyportion 10 side. The end of the arm portion 55 is connected to an arm96, as will be mentioned later.

The pushing mechanism 90 is provided on the base plate 30. The baseplate 30 is secured to the main body portion 10. In other words, thepushing mechanism 90 is provided on the main body portion 10 side. Thepushing mechanism 90 includes arms 92 and 96, and a roller 98. The arm92 is swingably connected to the base plate 30. The arm 92 swings on thesurface of the base plate 30. The end of the arm 92 is connected to thearm 96. The arm 96 swings in the thickness direction of the main bodyportion 10 or the display portion 20 and is swingably connected to thearm 92. The end of the arm 96 is provided with the roller 98. Inresponse to sliding of the slider 40, the roller 98 moves on pushedportions 61 a, 62 a, 61 b, and 62 b, as will be mentioned later. The arm96 is connected to the arm portion 55 of the biasing member 50. Thebiasing member 50 biases the arm 96 to the changing member 60 a side orthe changing member 60 b side. The changing member 60 a includes thepushed portions 61 a and 62 a which are continuous with each other. Thechanging member 60 b includes the pushed portions 61 b and 62 b whichare continuous with each other. With such arrangements, the roller 98pushes one of the pushed portions 61 a, 62 a, 61 b, and 62 b.

The changing members 60 a and 60 b are secured to each other by anadhesive bonding. The changing members 60 a and 60 b each have atriangle shape. The changing members 60 a and 60 b are overlapped witheach other in the thickness direction of the portable phone. The roller98 moves on the pushed portions 61 a, 62 a, 61 b, and 62 b in responseto sliding of the display portion 20. The pushed portions 61 a, 62 a, 61b, and 62 b each have a channel shape so as to engage the roller 98. Thepushed portions 61 a, 62 a, 61 b, and 62 b each have a liner shape, butare not limited to the liner shape. For example, if the pushed portion61 has a curve shape, the relation ship between a sliding degree and anassisting force is nonlinearly changeable. Therefore, a pattern ofchanging the assisting force is changeable.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the lengths of the pushed portions 61 a, 62 a,61 b, and 62 b in the sliding direction correspond to the ranges Lal,La2, Lbl, and Lb2 as mentioned above, respectively.

Next, the pushing mechanism 90 and the changing members 60 a and 60 bwill be described in more detail.

FIGS. 6A to 6D, and 7A and 7B are explanatory views of the pushingmechanism 90 and the changing members 60 a and 60 b at the time ofsliding. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, in the fully closed state, theroller 98 pushes the pushed portion 61 a. Further, in the fully closedstate, the roller 98 abuts the stopper 43 to prevent the roller 98 fromdisengaging from the pushed portion 61 a or 62 b. Furthermore, theroller 98 abuts the stopper 43 to define the position of the beginningP1 of the sliding range. When the display portion 20 is slid, thechanging member 60 a also moves in response to the sliding of thedisplay portion 20. The changing member 60 a moves, so that the roller98 moves to climb up the pushed portion 61 a. While the roller 98 islocated on the pushed portion 61 a, the biasing force of the biasingmember 50 exerts the changing member 60 a to return to the beginning P1.The pushed portion 61 a corresponds to a first retuning area.

The display portion 20 is further slid to the end P2, so that the roller98 arrives at the boundary point between the pushed portions 61 a and 62a as illustrated in FIG. 6B. Additionally, FIG. 6B corresponds to FIG.1B. The display portion 20 is further slid to the end P2, so that theroller 98 moves on the pushed portion 62 a as illustrated in FIG. 6C.While the roller 98 is located on the pushed portion 62 a, the biasingforce of the biasing member 50 exerts the changing member 60 a to bepushed to the end P2. The pushed portion 62 a corresponds to a firstpushing area. The changing member 60 a is pushed to the end P2 by thebiasing force of the biasing member 50, and then the roller 98 moves tothe end of the pushed portion 62 a. In this way, the fully closed stateis shifted to the fully opened state.

In this way, in response to the movement of the pushed position from thepushed portion 61 a to the pushed portion 62 a, the direction where theslider 40 is pushed by the biasing member 50 is changed from thedirection toward the beginning P1 to the direction toward the end P2.Further, the position of the boundary between the pushed portions 61 aand 62 a is closer to the end of the pushed portion 61 a than to the endof the pushed portion 62 a. In other words, the pushed portion 62 a islonger than the pushed portion 61 a in the sliding direction of theslider 40. Accordingly, the range La2, where the biasing member 50assists in sliding the display portion to the end P2, can be made long.

Additionally, in the fully opened state, the roller 98 abuts the stopper42 to prevent the roller 98 from disengaging from the pushed portions 62a and 61 b. The roller 98 abuts the stopper 42 to define the position ofthe end P2 in the sliding range. Further, the roller 98 is moved fromthe pushed portion 62 a to the pushed portion 61 b by a guiding surfaceformed at the end of the pushed portion 62 a, as will be describedlater.

Next, the change from the fully opened state to the fully closed statewill be described. When the display portion 20 slides downwardly fromthe fully opened state illustrated in FIG. 6D, the roller 98 moves toclimb up the pushed portion 61 b as illustrated in FIG. 7A. While theroller 98 is located the pushed portion 61 b, the biasing force of thebiasing member 50 exerts the changing member 60 b to be returned to theend P2.

The display portion 20 is further slid to the beginning P1, the roller98 moves on the pushed portion 62 b as illustrated in FIG. 7B. While theroller 98 is located the pushed portion 62 b, the biasing force of thebiasing member 50 exerts the changing member 60 b to be pushed to thebeginning P1. Therefore, the roller 98 moves to the end of the pushedportion 62 b, so that the fully closed state is achieved as illustratedin FIG. 6A. Additionally, the end of the pushed portion 62 b is providedwith a guiding surface guiding the roller 98 from the pushed portion 62b to the pushed portion 61 a. This will be described later.

As described above, in response to the movement of the pushed positionfrom the pushed portion 61 b to the pushed portion 62 b, the directionwhere the slider 40 is pushed by the biasing member 50 is changed fromthe direction toward the end P2 to the direction toward to the beginningP1. Further, the position of the boundary between the pushed portions 61b and 62 b is closer to the end of the pushed portion 61 b than to theend of the pushed portion 62 b. In the other words, the pushed portion62 b is longer than the pushed portion 61 b in the sliding direction ofthe slider 40. Accordingly, the range Lb2, where the biasing member 50assists in sliding the display portion 20 to the beginning P1, can bemade long.

Consequently, the changing members 60 a and 60 b each have the functionfor changing the direction where the slider 40 is pushed by the biasingmember 50. The changing members 60 a and 60 b correspond to the casewhere the display portion 20 is slid from the beginning P1 to the end P2and the case where the display portion 20 is slid form the end P2 to theend P2, respectively. The range where the biasing member 50 assists insliding the display portion 20 can be set for every sliding direction.

Next, the guiding surface will be described. FIGS. 8A to 8D areexplanatory views of the guiding surface. A guiding surface 65 a isprovided at the end of the pushed portion 62 a. As illustrated in FIG.8A, the guiding surface 65 a inclines relative to the verticaldirection. Further, the biasing force of the biasing member 50 allowsthe roller 98 to push the guiding surface 65 a. Thus, the roller 98slides on the guiding surface 65 a from the pushed portion 62 a to thepushed portion 61 b, as illustrated in FIG. 8B. Further, a guidingsurface 65 b is provided at the end of the pushed portion 62 b. Asillustrated in FIG. 8C, the guiding surface 65 b also inclines. Thebiasing force of the biasing member 50 causes the roller 98 to push theguiding surface 65 b, so that the roller 98 slides on the guidingsurface 65 b from the pushed portion 62 b to the pushed portion 61 a asillustrated in FIG. 8D.

Additionally, the ranges Lal and Lb1 may have different lengths fromeach other, and the ranges La2 and Lb2 may have different lengths fromeach other. That is, for every sliding direction, the range where thebiasing member 50 assists the sliding is changeable. Specifically, inthe design, the ratio of the length of the pushed portion 61 a to thatof the pushed portion 62 a in the sliding direction may be differentfrom the ratio of the length of the pushed portion 61 b to that of thepushed portion 62 b in the sliding direction. For example, the rangewhere the biasing force assists in changing the state from the fullyclosed state to the fully opened state may be longer than the rangewhere the biasing force assists in changing the state from the fullyopened state to the fully closed state.

Second Embodiment

Next, a portable phone according to the second embodiment will bedescribed. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the portable phone accordingto the second embodiment. Additionally, the display portion and theslider are omitted in FIG. 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the portable phone according to the secondembodiment includes: a guiding member 44 abutting the arm 96 in thebeginning P1 position; and a guiding member 45 abutting the arm 96 inthe end P2 position. The guiding members 44 and 45 are secured to theslider not illustrated.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are explanatory views of the guiding members. Asillustrated in FIG. 10A, the guiding member 44 includes a guidingsurface 443 and a defining surface 441. The guiding surface 443inclines. The defining surface 441 is vertical. In sliding from the endP2 to the beginning P1, the roller 98 moves on the pushed portion 62 b.The roller 98 arrives at the end of the pushed portion 62 b, so that thearm 96 abuts and slides on the guiding surface 443 and then abuts thedefining surface 441. In this way, swinging the arm 96 is guided in thethickness direction of the portable phone. Consequently, the roller 98moves from the pushed portion 62 b to the pushed portion 61 a.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10B, the guiding member 45 includes adefining surface 451 and a guiding surface 453. The guiding surface 453inclines. The defining surface 451 is vertical. The roller 98 arrives atthe end of the pushed portion 62 a, so that the arm 96 abuts and slideson the guiding surface 453 and then abuts the defining surface 451.Thus, the roller 98 moves from the pushed portion 62 a to the pushedportion 61 b.

Third Embodiment

A portable phone according to the third embodiment will be described.FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the portable phone according to thethird embodiment. The display portion and the slider are omitted in FIG.11.

A pushing mechanism 90 b includes: a rail 93; a sliding member 94slidably engaging the rail 93; the arm 96 swingably supported by thesliding member 94; and the roller 98 connected to the end of the arm 96.The rail 93 extends in the direction perpendicular to the slidingdirection of the display portion. Further, the end of the arm portion 55is secured to the sliding member 94. With such arrangements, the slidingmember 94 is always biased to the changing members 60 a and 60 b by thebiasing member 50.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views of the portable phone accordingto the second embodiment. FIG. 12A illustrates the portable phone in thefully closed state. FIG. 12B illustrates the portable phone in the fullyopened state. As illustrated in FIGS. 12A and 12B, in response tosliding of the display portion 20, the sliding member 94 slides on therail 93. This keeps the roller 98 pushing the changing members 60 a and60 b.

Fourth Embodiment

A portable phone according to the fourth embodiment will be described.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory views of the portable phone accordingto the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13A illustrates a part of the portablephone according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 13B illustrates a crosssectional view of the portable phone according to the fourth embodiment.The display portion 20 and the slider 40 are omitted in FIG. 13A.

A base plate 30 c is provided with a guiding groove 153. The guidinggroove 153 extends in the direction substantially perpendicular to thelengthwise direction of the main body portion 10 c and the slidingdirection of the display portion 20. The guiding groove 153substantially parallel to the rail 93. A sliding member 154 for thebiasing member 50 slidably engages the guiding groove 153. That is, thesliding member 154 is slidably provided in the main body portion 10 c.The arm portion 53 of the biasing member 50 is connected to the slidingmember 154. Specifically, one end of the biasing member 50 is connectedto the sliding member 94 and the arm 96, and the other end of thebiasing member 50 is connected to the sliding member 154. The coilportion 51 is arranged on the sliding member 154. The sliding member 154is provided with a driven roller 158. The driven roller 158 isrotatable.

The biasing force of the biasing member 50 causes the sliding member 154to push the slider 40. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 13B, thebiasing force allows the driven roller 158 to push the rail portion 41of the slider 40, and the driven roller 158 abuts the inside of the railportion 41. The driven roller 158 rotates in response to sliding of theslider 40 relative to the main body portion 10 c. Since the slider 40 issecured to the display portion 20, the driven roller 158 abuts thedisplay portion 20 side. Thus, the pushing of the biasing member 50allows the sliding member 154 to push the display portion 20 side. Whenthe driven roller 158 abuts the rail portion 41, the sliding member 154does not abut the end of the sliding member 154. Therefore, the biasingforce of the biasing member 50 is not directly exerted on the main bodyportion 10 c.

FIG. 14A is an explanatory view of the structure of the portable phoneaccording to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14B is an explanatory view ofthe structure of the portable phone according to the third embodiment.FIGS. 14A and 14B schematically illustrate the structures.

As illustrated in FIG. 14A, the sliding member 154 is slidable relativeto the main body portion 10 c. The driven roller 158 provided in thesliding member 154 is biased to the rail portion 41 side of the slider40 by the biasing member 50. Further, the arm 96 is biased to thechanging members 60 a and 60 b side by the biasing member 50. In thisway, one end of the biasing member 50 biases the changing members 60 aand 60 b of the slider 40, and the other end of the biasing member 50biases the inside of the rail portion 41 of the slider 40.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 14B, in the portable phone accordingto the third embodiment, one end of the biasing member 50 is directlyconnected to a main body portion 10 b, and the other end of the biasingmember 50 is connected to the arm 96. The biasing force of the biasingmember 50 causes the arm 96 to bias the changing members 60 a and 60 bprovided in the display portion 20 side in the direction substantiallyperpendicular to the sliding direction. That is, in the portable phoneaccording to the third embodiment, the biasing member 50 biases thedisplay portion 20 relative to the main body portion 10 b in thedirection substantially perpendicular to the sliding direction. In thisway, as illustrated in FIG. 14B, the display portion 20 is always biasedrelative to the main body portion 10 b in the left direction in FIG. 14Bby the biasing member 50. A clearance is defined between the guideportion 31 and the rail portion 41. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 14B,the frictional force, between the guide portion 31 and the rail portion41 illustrated at the left side of FIG. 14B, is increased by the biasingforce of the biasing member 50. Therefore, it may be difficult to slidethe main body portion 10 b and the display portion 20.

In the portable phone according to the fourth embodiment, as illustratedin FIG. 14A, the biasing force of the biasing member 50 does notdirectly exerted on a main body portion 10 c. Thus, the display portion20 is not biased relative to the main body portion 10 c in the directionperpendicular to the sliding direction. This facilitates sliding of thedisplay portion 20 relative to the main body portion 10 c.

Further, the arm portion 53 of the biasing member 50 is connected to thesliding member 154, and the sliding member 154 is connected to the mainbody portion 10 c side. Accordingly, even when the display portion 20slide relative to the main body portion 10 c, the biasing member 50 isheld at a given position of the main body portion 10 c. With such aconfiguration, even when the display portion 20 slides relative to themain body portion 10 c, the biasing member 50 is capable of pushing thechanging members 60 a and 60 b with the biasing member 50 held at agiven position.

A portable device is not limited to a portable phone. For example, aportable device may be any device as long as two cases are slidably andlinearly connected to each other, for example, a PDA or a notebookcomputer. The slider 40 and the changing members 60 a and 60 b may beintegrally formed with each other, and may be made of a synthetic resinfor example.

The portable phone according to the fourth embodiment may be providedwith the stopper 42 or 43, or the guiding member 44 or 45.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the inventionand the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, andare to be constructed as being without limitation to such specificallyrecited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of suchexamples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority andinferiority of the invention. Although the embodiment of the presentinventions has been described in detail, it should be understood thatthe various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made heretowithout departing from the sprit and scope of the invention.

1. A portable device comprising: first and second cases; a biasingmember which is secured to the first case side; and a slider which issecured to the second case side, which is slidably connected to thefirst case, and which is pushed by the biasing member, wherein: theslider comprises: a first pushed portion pushed by the biasing memberwhen the slider slides from a beginning of a sliding range to an end ofthe sliding range; a second pushed portion pushed by the biasing memberwhen the slider slides from the end to the beginning; a first guidingportion guiding a pushed position pushed by the biasing member from thefirst pushed portion to the second pushed portion; and a second guidingportion guiding the pushed position from the second pushed portion tothe first pushed portion; a direction where the slider is pushed by thebiasing member is changed from a direction toward the beginning to adirection toward the end, in response to a movement of the pushedposition on the first pushed portion; and the direction where the slideris pushed by the biasing member is changed from the direction toward theend to the direction toward the beginning, in response to a movement ofthe pushed position on the second pushed portion.
 2. The portable deviceof claim 1, wherein: the first pushed portion comprises: a firstretuning area which attempts to return the slider to the beginning bythe pushing of the biasing member; and a first pushing area whichattempts to push the slider to the end by the pushing of the biasingmember; the second pushed portion comprises: a second retuning areawhich attempts to return the slider to the end by the pushing of thebiasing member; and a second pushing area which attempts to push theslider to the beginning by the pushing of the biasing member; the firstpushing area is longer than the first retuning area in such a directionthat the slider slides; and the second pushing area is longer than thesecond retuning area in such the direction that the slider slides. 3.The portable device of claim 1, further comprising a pushing mechanismpushing the slider by the biasing member, wherein the pushing mechanismcomprises: an arm which is swingably supported in a thickness directionof the first case, and which is biased by the biasing member; and aroller which is connected to the arm, and which pushes the first orsecond pushed portion by a biasing force of the biasing member.
 4. Theportable device of claim 1, wherein the first and second pushed portionsare aligned in a thickness direction of the first or second case.
 5. Theportable device of claim 3, wherein the arm comprises: a first arm whichis swingably supported by the first case, and which is biased by thebiasing member; and a second arm which is swingably supported by thefirst arm, which is swingable in a thickness direction of the firstcase, and which is connected to the roller.
 6. The portable device ofclaim 3, wherein the pushing mechanism comprises: a guiding rail whichis provided in the first case; and a slide member which slides on theguiding rail, which is biased by the biasing member, and which holds thearm for swinging.
 7. The portable device of claim 6, further comprisinga slide member, for the biasing member, which is connected to one end ofthe biasing member, which is slidably provided relative to the firstcase, and which pushes the second case side by the biasing force of thebiasing member while allowing the second case to slide, the other end ofthe biasing member being connected to the arm of the biasing member. 8.The portable device of claim 7, wherein the slide member, for thebiasing member, comprises a driven roller which pushes the second caseand rotates in response to sliding of the second case.
 9. The portabledevice of claim 3, further comprising a stopper which abuts the rollerto prevent the roller from disengaging from the first or second pushedportion.
 10. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the first guidingportion comprises a guiding surface which is provided in the firstpushed portion, and which guides the pushed position to the secondpushed portion by the biasing force of the biasing member.
 11. Theportable device of claim 1, wherein the first guiding portion comprisesa guiding member which abuts the arm in response to sliding of theslider, and which guides the arm so as to guide the pushed position.